Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by King Harvest on December 30, 2013 at 12:26pm

Good Evening Gentlemen,

i hereby beg you to be merciful on this product of my leisure nights.

The astonishing accomplishments of my colleagues, which efforts I am sure would arouse the most recondite fantasies of my old friend Dr.Victor Von Frankenstein, are by all means worthy of the next World's Fair.

I can only humbly present an old creation of mine that, quite unfortunately, is to be considered "hors concours" due to its non cigarish nature.

I hope this will not be of any inconvenience to your gentlemanly challenge.

Yours sincerely

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/the-voyager-3?context=user

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/the-voyager-2?context=user

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/the-voyager-1?context=user

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/the-voyager?context=user

Permalink Reply by King Harvest on December 30, 2013 at 1:19pm

"The Voyager"

Attachments:

• 0364.JPG, 4.1 MB

Permalink Reply by Tess Luckman on December 30, 2013 at 2:10pm

Okay Here is my Entry into the Comp.

Permalink Reply by Michael Benneyworth on December 30, 2013 at 2:38pm

Just when I realised there might be no time to finish my project for the Builder’s Challenge, a crate arrived on my doorstep this morning. No address, no labels, nothing but what is pictured below and a handwritten note inside. The note reads as follows:

Built by me, Leslie William Gurney, Airframe Engineer 1^st Class, HM Royal Airship Corp, to commemorate the actions of our ship, HMAS Bellorophon, in saving the Treasury airship, HMAS Orion, from unknown air pirates, on Jan 25, (year illegible).

This instrument is assembled from materials salvaged during repairs to the ship after the battle, with kind permission of Capt. G.H. Chilton, include the following:
Airframe members, ships stores crates, the damaged side panel and thumb screws of the AEtheric Accumulator Control Panel, control cable pulleys and a few parts from First Officer Cleveland’s viola, mostly destroyed (much to the delight of many) in the fight. The pirates had a twin barrelled .50 calibre Gatling gun which, luckily, hit nothing of importance in the Accumulator, but did leave a series of holes useful for my purposes.

The box housing the mechanism was part of HM government’s acknowledgement to the crew, cigars of a very high quality housed in a box shaped to resemble the very bars of gold that the pirates attempted to obtain. The Minister of the Treasury was most gracious at the presentation ceremony. (As he should have been, considering the lack of planning on his ministry’s part that went into that shipment’s particulars and subsequent attempt to relieve the country of this gold.)

Unfortunately the highly secret nature of some of these materials: the exact composition of the aluminium structure, the multiple layer plies of wood and Mr. Robertson’s newly manufactured screws, means that for the foreseeable time I will only be able to play this for my shipmates and must keep it hidden for a few years yet, until such time as these materials are commonly available.

I have attached a stepped pulley to the driveshaft, both to act as a spacer and to provide a means whereby one handed operation of the instrument may be obtained. A small steam engine, or one of the rumoured electrical motors, would provide suitable motive force.

Our ship’s battle record to date is painted on the side panels - the twelve airships and five surface ships we have successfully vanquished during our patrols of the Northern Atlantic air and sea lanes. This tally includes the black airship used by the pirates, which was utterly destroyed by our ship’s new weaponry; of this powerful instrument of destruction I must remain silent.

Also a secret is the fact that the bottom panel, which appears to be fixed to the sides of the instrument, actually slides forward to give access to the mechanism. It will also slide further open thus allowing somewhat secret stowage in the body of the instrument itself. This demonstrates another advantage of the small sound holes. I may paint this cavity black in the future to further obscure anything hidden therein.

I have always enjoyed the otherworldly sounds that come from the hurdy-gurdy and am pleased that I can now create them on a whim. The learning process so far has almost engendered as many comments – humourous, sour, and ribald - as Mr. Cleveland’s attempts at Bach on his viola. One of my mates made a comparison to the noises of the nether regions, just a little more demonic.

None the less, I shall enjoy it.

 

On the back of the note are a two more sentences, written in ball point pen:

This has been stored for much longer than it should have been. As you are the eldest of Mr. Gurney’s descendants it now belongs to you.

My entry is dedicated to my granddad, Les Gurney, who was one of the people responsible for my ability to think in all directions and to work with my hands. 

Thanks, Michael

FYI - the last picture was taken during a live test, it works with one string, the first string not the melody string (each string can be lifted to take it off the wheel by resting them on top of the bridge). A little tweaking and I might get it to go with all three.

Permalink Reply by Michael Benneyworth on December 30, 2013 at 3:01pm

Quick tutortial on hurdy-gurdies - First and third strings are drones, middle string is the melody string (can have more strings or can have them doubled as well). The plunger on the carriage is depressed to contact the melody string and change it's pitch. The spring lifts it back again. 

It's a bit hard to figure out how to play it but I'll keep trying.

Permalink Reply by Chris Poulsen on December 30, 2013 at 4:09pm

First time competing - here is my creation - "A Tribute to Jules Verne" - the fretboard is made of glass. I used some scrap brass, a vent from a boat locker, and some erector set parts. The purple coin is a Jules Verne Mardi Gras dubloon from 1979. I hope you like it!

This is part 1 of my submission - I have 2 additional pictures i'd like to submit. 

-Chris Poulsen 

Attachments:

• cp_pic1.jpg, 94 KB
• cp_pic2.jpg, 101 KB
• cp_pic3.jpg, 75 KB

Permalink Reply by Chris Poulsen on December 30, 2013 at 4:11pm

This is part 2 of my submission, with 2 more pictures of my "tribute to Jules Verne"

Attachments:

• cp_pic4.jpg, 114 KB
• cp_pic5.jpg, 87 KB

Permalink Reply by Jim_N on December 31, 2013 at 6:59am

My objective was to create an antique-looking CBG suggesting Victorian era steam power complete with (the obligatory ; ) mechanical gears and wheels, rivets, wood, glass, and old tarnished brass and copper, yet all designed so that nothing would interfere with holding and playing it. I included a bit of 19^th century art nouveau ornate embellishment, and as an element of the Old West, used leather for both the slide and pick holders (on the top, right side).

Here, then, for your consideration, is my "Spirit of Steampunk" (aka: "retro-tech/over-the-top complex” :D),  entry.

 

Details include:

- Drew Estate ‘Undercrown’ cigar box, 11 1/4“ x 6 5/8” x 2 3/8”  (285mm x 169mm x 60mm)  

- CB Gitty fret wire and economy tuners modified with brass valve t-handles

- Inlayed clock gears and hole-punched guitar picks as fret dots

- Magnetic pickup (sounds great w/ the brass wounds!) w/ vol. & tone controls

- Air pressure gauge and art nouveau touch painted to appear as old brass

- Antique drawer pull as tailpiece with thru’-the-box strings

- Threaded brass elbow fitting embedded as strap button

- Red & blue fixed & blinking lights controlled by switches

- Sundial, tattoo machine coils, draw pull ‘carrying handle’

- Classic pocket watch bordered by gears on copper plate recessed into box

- Large caliber rifle shell/brass slide (fits my ring finger perfectly!)

- Copper & brass ‘vintaged’ for a Jules Verne too-long-under-the-sea look (using an alchemist’s hellish brew of water, salt, steel wool, vinegar and ammonia, all mixed by an actual moth-eaten, old 19^th century waif (me  : /

- Handmade copper ‘steampunk’ pick

 

Fun project, and great entries, guys!  ^^

Permalink Reply by Jim_N on December 31, 2013 at 8:25am

Thanks for the kind words, all!

Just realized I hadn't included my lights-in-the-dark shot. Here's pic #5  : /

Attachments:

• 5.jpg, 140 KB

Permalink Reply by Bruce Myers on December 31, 2013 at 8:52am

Well, here is my entry for the Steampunk Builder's Challenge. My goal was to build a guitar that had the steampunk look but still kept its' playability without the risk of impalement or blood-letting whilst playing. :-) Below are some of the specs and features.

Arturo Fuente box, chosen for the black and gold color scheme and decorative banding that reads "Hand Made" along the edges.

Solid Cherry, fretted neck 7/8" thick, with solid build-up inside box and attachment via glue and screws through the back of the box.

25" scale.

Flame colored titanium pick guard as well as decorative pieces at the head and tail of the neck.

Large, antique brass clock gears, one of which is the sound hole cover.

Solid copper nut pinned on with two brass pins, copper bridge over rod-type piezo. 

Working clock movement to keep things in time.

Brass machine screws and nuts for attaching strap (strap is still in the works).

Copper fret markers along neck.

Hand carved scroll at head of neck.

Four step painted finish on neck with a nickel color base with brown and gold layered accents. The fretboard is finished clear.

Various hardware and adornments including solid copper and brass rivets, slotted brass screws, steel machine screws, brass and stainless steel rod, scrolled leather, misc clock parts, and a few resistors and a valve handle thrown in for calibration.

The back of the box is covered with Crocodile print leather.

It sounds very nice whether plugged in to the amp or on its' own, I am very pleased with the way it turned out.

Permalink Reply by Hillbilly Luthiers on December 31, 2013 at 10:35am

This is my entry for the 2013 Challenge. This is a 3 string cbg made from a Drew Estate cigar box. The neck is solid red oak with purple heart fretted fret board. 25.5" scale. There are two piezo pickups one under the resonator and the other under the edge of the fret board. 2 glass Victorian era replica drawer pulls on the top. The bottom most valve on the front controls the volume. The tail piece is from an old chain lock that was drilled out and modified. Biscuit bridge hand made from poplar and a found skeleton key. The nut is a solid piece of ebony. This was a very fun build and the guitar sounds awesome!  

Permalink Reply by graeme on December 31, 2013 at 11:13am

Military Hardware Steampunk cbg trash-o-caster

Components – La Gloria Cubana cigar box, triple display unit pipes for the neck with bath handles and cans sound holes. Two “might come in handy” (eight years ago) sawn off pipes with mounted ageing dividers and a reinforced machine head. Oil can bridge, chop stick nut and dilapidated brass telescope. Dog leash strap, four spark plug bullets, sink plug chains and curtain pulleys with half a door handle trigger guard.

All components from my ‘cave of wonderment’ – the garage.  Which, once upon a time I was encouraged by my wife to tidy up. Glad I didn’t!! Great theme, it’s been fun.

Please see two photos below along with three attached photos.

Graeme Peatfield.

Attachments:

• DSC_2702.JPG, 3.5 MB
• DSC_2721.JPG, 3.5 MB
• DSC_2730.JPG, 3.5 MB

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